Exposure to increased levels of vitamin D could boost your fertility, a recent study suggests. The findings may also explain why conception rates fall in the winter and peak in the summer in Northern European countries.

According to researchers from the Medical University of Graz in Austria, it has been known for some time that the vitamin D receptor is found in the reproductive organs of women and men. However very little was known about the role the nutrient played in reproductive health.

The study, published in the European Journal of Endocrinology, reviewed previously conducted research evaluating the relationship between vitamin D and fertility in women and men, as well as in animals.